US6992311B1 - In-situ cleaning of beam defining apertures in an ion implanter - Google Patents
In-situ cleaning of beam defining apertures in an ion implanter Download PDFInfo
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- US6992311B1 US6992311B1 US11/037,491 US3749105A US6992311B1 US 6992311 B1 US6992311 B1 US 6992311B1 US 3749105 A US3749105 A US 3749105A US 6992311 B1 US6992311 B1 US 6992311B1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/30—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects
- H01J37/317—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation
- H01J37/3171—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation for ion implantation
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J2237/00—Discharge tubes exposing object to beam, e.g. for analysis treatment, etching, imaging
- H01J2237/02—Details
- H01J2237/022—Avoiding or removing foreign or contaminating particles, debris or deposits on sample or tube
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to ion implantation systems, and more specifically to systems and methods for cleaning one or more beam defining devices in an ion implantation system.
- ion implantation systems are used to impart impurities, known as dopant elements, into semiconductor wafers, display panels, or other workpieces.
- Typical ion implantation systems or ion implanters treat a workpiece with an ion beam in order to produce n- or p-type doped regions, or to form passivation layers in the workpiece.
- the ion implantation system injects a selected ion species to produce the desired extrinsic material. For example, implanting ions generated from source materials such as antimony, arsenic, or phosphorus results in n-type extrinsic material wafers. Alternatively, implanting ions generated from materials such as boron, gallium, or indium creates p-type extrinsic material portions in a semiconductor wafer.
- FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary ion implantation system 10 having a terminal 12 , a beamline assembly 14 , and an end station 16 .
- the terminal 12 includes an ion source 20 powered by a high voltage power supply 22 that produces and directs an ion beam 24 through the beamline assembly 14 , and ultimately, to the end station 16 .
- the beamline assembly 14 has a beamguide 26 and a mass analyzer 28 , wherein a dipole magnetic field is established to pass only ions of appropriate charge-to-mass ratio through an aperture 30 at an exit end of the beamguide 26 to a workpiece 32 (e.g., a semiconductor wafer, display panel, etc.) in the end station 16 .
- a workpiece 32 e.g., a semiconductor wafer, display panel, etc.
- various contaminants are typically generated over time, wherein ions from the ion beam 24 strike various components 34 , such as the aperture 30 , along the beam path.
- the components 34 residing along the ion beam path are generally comprised of graphite, wherein the sputtered contaminants (not shown) are generally comprised of carbon, and possibly even some of the species of the ion beam 24 itself.
- FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate a conventional aperture 30 , wherein contaminants 36 have been sputtered onto surfaces 38 of the aperture. Over time, the contaminants 36 grow and build upon themselves, wherein a potential exists for portions of the contaminants (e.g., free contaminants 40 ) to eventually break free or flake off from the surfaces 38 . Such free contaminants 40 may then travel with the ion beam 24 , and be imparted onto the workpiece 30 of FIG. 1A . Such contamination of the workpiece 30 may lead to a failure of the resulting device(s) (not shown) formed on the workpiece, thus decreasing the efficiency and product yield of the ion implantation system 10 .
- the contaminants 36 grow and build upon themselves, wherein a potential exists for portions of the contaminants (e.g., free contaminants 40 ) to eventually break free or flake off from the surfaces 38 .
- Such free contaminants 40 may then travel with the ion beam 24 , and be imparted onto the workpiece 30 of FIG. 1A .
- Such contamination of the workpiece 30
- a continuing trend toward smaller electronic devices has further presented an incentive to “pack” a greater number of smaller, more powerful and more energy efficient semiconductor devices onto individual wafers. This necessitates careful control over semiconductor fabrication processes, including ion implantation, and more particularly, necessitates a minimization of contaminants imparted onto the workpieces during ion implantation.
- semiconductor devices are being fabricated upon larger and larger workpieces in order to increase product yield. For example, wafers having a diameter of 300 mm or more are being utilized so that more devices can be produced on a single wafer. Such wafers are expensive and, thus, make it very desirable to mitigate waste, such as having to scrap an entire wafer due to contaminants imparted to the wafer during ion implantation.
- This solution typically requires a change of gases in the ion implanter 10 , wherein the source material gas used for implanting ions into the workpiece 30 is purged from the ion implanter, the reactive gas is then used to remove the contamination, and then the reactive gas is further purged from the implanter prior to processing another workpiece.
- a change of gases may decrease the efficiency of the ion implantation system 10 , thus decreasing a throughput of the implanter.
- the present invention is directed generally toward a method for in-situ cleaning of an ion implantation system using the same species for both cleaning one or more components in the ion implantation system, as well as for implanting ions into a workpiece.
- an ion implantation system is provided, wherein the ion implantation system comprises one or more components, such as a resolving plate, having one or more contaminants disposed thereon.
- a process species is provided to the ion implantation system for forming ions therefrom, wherein the ions formed from the process species generally define an ion source.
- An ion beam is further extracted from the ion source by an application of an extraction voltage to an ion extraction assembly associated with the ion source.
- the extraction assembly comprises one or more extraction electrodes, wherein the extraction voltage is provided to the one or more electrodes from an extraction voltage source controlled by a controller.
- the extraction voltage is then modulated, wherein a trajectory of the ion beam is oscillated within a predetermined range, thus sweeping the ion beam across the one or more components.
- the one or more contaminants residing on upstream facing surfaces of the one or more components are subsequently removed by the cyclically-sweeping ion beam.
- a barrier is placed in a path of the ion beam prior to the modulation of the extraction voltage, wherein the barrier is placed generally downstream from the one or more components.
- the barrier comprises a flag Faraday positioned downstream from the resolving plate, or a Faraday cup positing within an end station of the ion implantation system.
- the barrier generally collects the one or more contaminants removed from the one or more components during the subsequent extraction voltage modulation, thus generally containing the contaminants and generally preventing the contaminants from contaminating other components of the ion implantation system.
- the one or more components comprise a resolving plate having an aperture therethough defining at least a first surface.
- An upstream facing surface of the resolving plate is further generally defined by a second surface obliquely oriented with respect to the ion beam, wherein at least some of the one or more contaminants are disposed on the second surface.
- the ion beam is generally swept across at least the upstream facing surface of the aperture, therein rapidly thermally cycling one or more of the contaminants and the aperture, thus generally dislodging the one or more contaminants from the aperture.
- the dislodged contaminants for example, are then collected by the barrier, thus limiting an amount of cross-contamination within the ion implantation system.
- FIG. 1A is a plan view of a conventional ion implantation system.
- FIGS. 1B–1C are respective perspective and plan views of a conventional aperture having contamination formed thereon.
- FIG. 2 is a system-level block diagram of an exemplary ion implantation system according to one aspect of the present invention.
- FIGS. 4A–4B illustrate plan and cross-sectional views of an exemplary resolving plate having a plurality of resolving apertures in accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is an exemplary resolving plate having a resolving aperture, wherein the resolving aperture has one or more contaminants formed thereon according to still another aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary method for in-situ cleaning of an ion implantation system according to another exemplary aspect of the invention.
- the present invention is directed generally towards a system and method for cleaning beam defining devices in an ion implantation system. More particularly, the method provides an in-situ cleaning of a beam defining aperture using an ion species that is also used for ion implantation into a workpiece. Accordingly, the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. It should be understood that the description of these aspects are merely illustrative and that they should not be taken in a limiting sense. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident to one skilled in the art, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
- FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary ion implantation system 100 depicted in block diagram form, wherein the exemplary ion implantation system is suitable for implementing one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the system 100 comprises an ion implantation apparatus 101 comprising an ion source 102 for producing a quantity of ions operable to travel along an ion beam path P, thus defining an ion beam 103 for implantation of the ions into a workpiece 104 .
- the ion source 102 generally comprises a plasma chamber 105 , a process gas source 106 , and a power source 108 , wherein positively charged ions are generated from the process gas within the plasma chamber by an application of power from the power source.
- the process gas source 106 may comprise a source material such as an ionizable gas or vaporized solid source material or species that has been previously vaporized.
- the source materials may comprise boron, gallium or indium.
- the source materials may comprise arsenic, phosphorus, or antimony.
- the ion source 102 further comprises an extraction assembly 109 associated therewith, wherein charged ions are extracted from the ion source upon an application of an extraction voltage V Extract thereto.
- An extraction power source 110 is operable to provide the extraction voltage V Extract , wherein the extraction voltage may be further modulated, as will be discussed infra.
- a beamline assembly 112 is further provided downstream of the ion source 102 , wherein the beamline assembly generally receives the charged ions.
- the beamline assembly 112 for example, comprises one or more components 114 , such as a beamguide 116 , a mass analyzer 118 , and an aperture 120 , wherein the one or more components are operable to form and shape the ion beam 103 .
- the mass analyzer 118 further comprises a field generating component, such as a magnet (not shown), wherein the mass analyzer generally provides a magnetic field across the ion beam 103 , thus deflecting ions from the ion beam at varying trajectories according to a charge-to-mass ratio of the ions.
- a field generating component such as a magnet (not shown)
- the mass analyzer generally provides a magnetic field across the ion beam 103 , thus deflecting ions from the ion beam at varying trajectories according to a charge-to-mass ratio of the ions.
- ions traveling through the magnetic field experience a force that directs individual ions of a desired charge to mass ratio along the beam path P and deflects ions of undesired charge to mass ratios away from the beam path.
- the ion beam 103 is directed though the aperture 120 , wherein the ion beam is generally limited to produce a concise beam for implantation into a workpiece 104 (e.g., a semiconductor wafer, display panel, etc.).
- a workpiece 104 e.g., a semiconductor wafer, display panel, etc.
- the ion implantation system 100 further comprises an end station 124 , wherein the workpiece 104 generally resides.
- the workpiece 104 In the manufacture of integrated circuit devices, display panels, and other products, it is generally desirable to uniformly implant dopant species across the entire surface of the workpiece 104 .
- the ion implantation device 101 can therefore be configured to implant ions into a single workpiece 104 (e.g., a “serial” ion implanter), wherein the workpiece generally resides on a pedestal or chuck (not shown) situated within the end station 124 .
- the ion implantation device 101 can be configured to implant ions into multiple workpieces 104 (e.g., a “batch” ion implanter), wherein the end station 124 comprises a rotating platter (not shown), whereon several workpieces are translated with respect to the ion beam 103 .
- a “batch” ion implanter e.g., a “batch” ion implanter
- the end station 124 comprises a rotating platter (not shown)
- any ion implantation device operable to extract ions from an ion source and implant them into one or more workpieces is contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention.
- the ion implantation system 100 further comprises a controller 128 , wherein the controller is operable to control the ion implantation device 101 .
- the controller 128 is operable to control the power source 108 for producing the ions, as well as the extraction power source 110 , wherein the ion beam path P is generally controlled.
- the controller 128 is further operable to adjust the strength and orientation of the magnetic field associated with the mass analyzer 118 , among other things.
- the controller 128 is further operable to control the position of the barrier 126 with respect to the ion beam path P, as well as a position of the workpiece 104 within the ion implantation apparatus 101 .
- the controller 128 may comprise a processor and/or computer system for overall control of the system 100 (e.g., in conjunction with input by an operator).
- an exemplary ion implantation apparatus 200 is illustrated, such as the apparatus 101 in FIG. 2 , wherein the exemplary ion implantation apparatus is shown in greater detail. It should be again noted that although the ion implantation apparatus 200 is illustrated as one example, the present invention can be practiced using various other types of ion implantation apparatus and systems, such as high energy systems, low energy systems, or other implantation systems, and all such systems are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention.
- the ion implantation system 200 for example, comprises a terminal 212 , a beamline assembly 214 , and an end station 216 , wherein the terminal comprises an ion source 220 powered by a source power supply 222 .
- the terminal 212 further comprises an extraction assembly 224 powered by an extraction power supply 226 to extract ions from the ion source 220 and thereby to provide the extracted ion beam 210 to the beamline assembly 214 .
- the extraction assembly 224 in conjunction with the beamline assembly 214 , for example, are operable to direct the ions toward a workpiece 228 residing on a support 229 in the end station 216 for implantation thereof at a given energy level.
- the ion source 220 comprises a plasma chamber (not shown) wherein ions of a process gas or species are energized at a high positive potential V source . It should be noted that generally, positive ions are generated, although the present invention is also applicable to systems wherein negative ions are generated by the source 220 .
- the extraction assembly 224 further comprises a plasma electrode 230 and one or more extraction electrodes 232 , wherein the plasma electrode is biased with respect to the one or more extraction electrodes, but floats with respect to the plasma within the ion source 220 (e.g., the plasma electrode at 120 kV with respect to the workpiece 228 , wherein the workpiece is typically grounded).
- the one or more extraction electrodes 232 are biased at a voltage less than that of the plasma electrode 230 (e.g., an extraction voltage V Extract of 0–100 kV).
- the negative relative potential at the one or more extraction electrodes 232 with respect to the plasma creates an electrostatic field operable to extract and accelerate the positive ions out of the ion source 220 .
- the one or more extraction electrodes 232 have one or more extraction apertures 234 associated therewith, wherein positively charged ions exit the ion source 220 through the one or more extraction apertures to form the ion beam 210 , and wherein a velocity of the extracted ions is generally determined by the potential V Extract provided to the one or more extraction electrodes.
- the ionization process will also generate a proportion of ions having other atomic masses as well. Ions having an atomic mass above or below the proper atomic mass are not suitable for implantation and are referred to as undesirable species.
- the magnetic field generated by the mass analyzer 238 generally causes the ions in the ion beam 210 to move in a curved trajectory, and accordingly, the magnetic field is established such that only ions having an atomic mass equal to the atomic mass of the desired ion species traverse the beam path P to the end station 216 .
- the ion implantation apparatus 200 comprises barrier 239 pivotably coupled thereto, wherein the barrier is operable to be pivoted to selectively intersect the path P of the ion beam 210 in order to measure characteristics of the ion beam and/or substantially prevent the ion beam 210 from entering the end station 216 .
- the barrier comprises a flag Faraday that can be pivoted to intersect the beam path P, wherein the controller 128 of FIG. 2 is operable to determine whether characteristics of the ion beam are satisfactory for ion implantation. After the such a determination is made, the controller 128 is operable to translate the flag Faraday out of the beam path P so as to not interfere with ion implantation of the workpiece 124 .
- the barrier 239 of FIG. 3 comprises a Faraday cup (not shown) associated with the end station 216 , wherein the ion beam 210 is operable to strike the Faraday cup in the absence of the workpiece 228 .
- the resolving plate 236 at the exit of the beamguide 235 of FIG. 3 operates in conjunction with the mass analyzer 238 to eliminate undesirable ion species from the ion beam 210 which have an atomic mass close to, but not identical, to the atomic mass of the desired species of ions.
- the resolving plate 236 for example, is further comprised of vitreous graphite or another material such as tungsten or tantalum, and includes one or more elongated apertures 240 , wherein the ions in the ion beam 210 pass through the aperture as they exit the beamguide 235 .
- a dispersion of ions from the path P of the ion beam 210 (e.g., illustrated at P′) is at its minimum value, wherein a width of the ion beam (P′—P′) is at a minimum where the ion beam 210 passes through the resolving aperture 240 .
- an exemplary resolving plate 236 is illustrated in FIGS. 4A–4B , wherein the resolving plate comprises three resolving apertures 240 A– 240 C having varying widths.
- Each resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C for example, is associated with a respective ion implantation recipe (e.g., a particular ion species), wherein the desired aperture width for a particular species of ion implantation can be selected by positioning the desired resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C along the ion beam path P.
- a respective ion implantation recipe e.g., a particular ion species
- each resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C is generally defined by a first surface 241 that is generally parallel with the ion beam path P.
- a width W A –W C of each respective aperture 240 A– 240 C between the respective first surfaces 241 is generally associated with the minimum value of the dispersion of the ion beam 210 of FIG. 3 , as discussed above.
- each resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C is further defined by an upstream facing surface 242 , wherein the upstream facing surface is operable to be impacted by the ion beam 210 .
- the upstream facing surface 242 is generally defined by a second surface 243 obliquely oriented with respect to the ion beam 210 , wherein the second surface is generally beveled with respect to the first surface 241 and the ion beam.
- the second surface 243 therefore, generally defines a beveled upstream facing surface 242 of each resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C.
- the upstream facing surface 242 of each resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C may be still further defined by a third surface 244 obliquely oriented with respect to the first surface 241 and second surface 243 , wherein the third surface is closer to being parallel with the first surface than the second surface.
- the upstream facing surface 242 of each resolving aperture 240 A– 240 C may have any number of surfaces, and that each respective aperture may have differing beveled angles or shapes.
- any of the upstream facing surfaces 242 may be rounded or otherwise shaped such that the respective upstream facing surface provides a larger surface area of the aperture 240 for the ion beam 210 to impact. Accordingly, all such beveled or otherwise shaped upstream facing surfaces 242 of the resolving aperture 240 are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention.
- the strength and orientation of the magnetic field of the mass analyzer 238 of FIG. 3 , as well as the velocity of the ions extracted from the ion source 220 , is established by the controller of FIG. 2 , such that only ions having an atomic weight equal to the atomic weight (or charge-to-mass ratio) of the desired species will traverse the predetermined, desired ion beam path P to the end station 216 .
- Undesirable species of ions having an atomic mass much larger or much smaller than the desired ion atomic mass are sharply deflected and impact a housing 245 of the beamguide 235 of FIG. 3 .
- the typically-desired implantation species is an ion including boron-11 (i.e., ions having boron with a mass of eleven atomic mass units).
- ionizing source materials including vaporized boron in the ion source 220 also generates ions having another boron isotope, boron-10 (i.e., boron with a mass of ten atomic mass units), wherein ions including boron-10 are typically an undesirable species.
- the trajectory of the undesirable ion species including the boron-10 isotope is close to the trajectory of the desired boron-11 ion beam path P.
- the ions including boron-10 are slightly skewed from the desired beam line P, and consequently, impact the resolving plate 236 . Therefore, the ions including the boron-10 isotope are generally prevented from reaching the end station 216 by the resolving plate 236 , wherein the undesirable ions are further generally prevented from being implanted in the workpiece 228 .
- contaminant materials such as undesirable species of ions, sputtered carbon from the resolving aperture 236 , beamguide 235 , etc., as well as dopant material from the ion source 220 , will tend to build up on surfaces of implanter components 250 adjacent the ion beam 210 .
- the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving plate 236 will have a tendency to build up contaminants (not shown) after repeated ion implantations into workpieces 228 .
- photoresist material from the workpieces 228 themselves may also build up on the interior surfaces of the ion implantation apparatus 200 .
- contaminant build up around the resolving aperture 240 (e.g., the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving plate 236 of FIGS. 4A–4B ) further causes desirable ions near the outer extremities of the beam path P′ to strike and dislodge the built up contaminants.
- the dislodged contaminants can further travel to the surface of the workpiece 228 , thus potentially causing various undesirable effects on the resulting implanted workpiece.
- an intentional misdirection of the ion beam 210 can cause the ion beam to strike the contaminant materials on the upstream facing surfaces 242 , thus substantially cleaning the components 250 .
- the resolving plate 236 comprises one or more beveled upstream facing surfaces 242 having one or more contaminants 260 disposed thereon, such as the resolving plate 236 illustrated in FIG. 5
- a repeated misdirection (e.g., dithering) of the ion beam 210 can repeatedly heat and cool the surfaces and/or contaminants, by sweeping the ion beam across the upstream facing surfaces.
- Such a thermal cycling of one or more of the contaminants 260 and component surfaces 242 advantageously provides a thermal mismatch in coefficients of expansion between the contaminants and the surfaces on which they reside. Such a thermal mismatch is believed to substantially cause an intentional flaking of the contaminants from the surfaces.
- the misdirection of the ion beam 210 preferably is effected by modulating the extraction voltage V Extract , thus causing the velocity of the ions to be modulated as the ions are extracted from the ion source 220 .
- Such a modulation of velocity in accordance with the Lorenz Equation, will tend to alter the path of the ion beam 210 as it passes through the mass analyzer 238 , and thus, cause the ion beam to strike the upstream-facing surfaces 242 of the various ion implantation apparatus components 250 .
- the path P of the ion beam 210 can be purposely misdirected by modulating the extraction voltage V Extract in a repetitive pattern to misdirect the ion beam, thus causing the ion beam to sweep over the various components 250 in order to strike the contaminant materials, wherein the various components are substantially cleaned.
- the modulation of the extraction voltage V Extract can be further implemented by the controller 128 of FIG. 2 .
- the modulation of extraction voltage V Extract can be performed a sufficient number of times to effect dislodgement of all contaminants deposited on the surfaces of the contaminated components.
- FIG. 6 illustrates a method 300 for in-situ cleaning of contaminant materials, such as those built up on the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving plate 236 and other components 250 of the ion implantation apparatus 200 of FIG. 3 .
- contaminant materials such as those built up on the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving plate 236 and other components 250 of the ion implantation apparatus 200 of FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 6 illustrates a method 300 for in-situ cleaning of contaminant materials, such as those built up on the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving plate 236 and other components 250 of the ion implantation apparatus 200 of FIG. 3 .
- contaminant materials such as those built up on the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving plate 236 and other components 250 of the ion implantation apparatus 200 of FIG. 3 .
- the method 300 begins with providing an ion implantation system in act 305 , wherein the ion implantation system comprises one or more components having one or more contaminants disposed thereon.
- the ion implantation system 100 and apparatus 200 of FIGS. 2 and 3 are provided in act 305 of FIG. 5 , wherein the resolving plate 236 has one or more contaminants disposed on the upstream facing surface 242 thereof.
- FIG. 5 further illustrates the exemplary resolving plate 236 having one or more contaminants 260 disposed on the upstream facing surface 242 of the resolving aperture 240 .
- a process species is provided to the ion implantation system, and an ion source is formed from the process species.
- an ion source is formed from the process species.
- a plasma is formed in the ion source 220 of FIG. 3 from a species used for implanting ions into the workpiece 228 by applying a source voltage V source to the species within a plasma chamber (not shown).
- an ion beam is extracted from the ion source by an application of an extraction voltage V Extract to an ion extraction assembly associated with the ion source.
- the extraction voltage V Extract is applied to the extraction assembly 224 of FIG. 3 , wherein ions are extracted from the ion source 220 , thus directing the ions through the beamline assembly 214 and toward the end station 216 .
- a nominal extraction voltage V ExtractNom is associated with the path P of the ion beam 210 , wherein the path P is associated with the minimum value of dispersion of the ion beam 210 , and is further associated with the extraction voltage V Extract applied when implanting ions into the workpiece 228 .
- Act 320 illustrates a modulation of the extraction voltage V Extract , wherein a trajectory of the ion beam is oscillated within a predetermined range about V ExtractNom , therein sweeping the ion beam across the one or more components and substantially removing the one or more contaminants therefrom.
- the modulation of the extraction voltage V Extract generally provides a cyclical heating of one or more of the contaminants and components, thus providing a differential in thermal coefficients of expansion between the one or more contaminants and components, thus facilitating the removal of the one or more contaminants from the upstream facing surfaces of the components.
- the nominal extraction voltage V ExtractNom ranges between 0 kV and 80 kV, wherein the extraction voltage V Extract is modulated approximately 6% or less about the nominal extraction voltage V ExtractNom , thus providing an efficient sweeping of the ion beam across the one or more components.
- the extraction voltage V Extract is modulated at a rate of approximately 1 Hertz or greater, such as between approximately 3 Hz and 10 Hz. Such a modulation generally provides the thermal mismatch between the one or more contaminants and the one or more components to facilitate the flaking off or removal of the contaminants from the upstream facing surfaces of the components.
- a barrier is placed in the path of the ion beam at a position generally downstream from the one or more components, wherein the one or more contaminants removed from the one or more components are generally collecting in the barrier.
- the barrier 239 comprises a flag faraday, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , wherein the flag faraday is pivoted into the path P of the ion beam 210 prior to the cleaning of the ion implantation apparatus 200 , thus generally preventing the ion beam (and dislodged contaminants—not shown) from entering the end station 216 .
- the flag faraday can be pivoted back out of the path P of the ion beam 210 , thus facilitating ion implantation into the workpiece 228 .
- the barrier comprises a faraday cup (not shown) associated with the end station 216 , wherein the one or more contaminants are generally collected within the faraday cup.
- the faraday cup for example, generally resides downstream of the support 229 for the workpiece 228 , wherein the cleaning of the ion implantation system can be performed with or without a workpiece positioned in the end station 216 .
- one or more workpieces are further implanted with ions via the ion beam formed from the ion source using the same species as used for cleaning the one or more components.
- a number of workpieces are implanted with ions using the species from the ion source, and the method 300 of FIG. 6 is performed to clean the one or more contaminants from the one or more components of the ion implantation system using the same species for the ion source.
- another number of workpieces are then implanted with ions from the ion source.
- the extraction voltage V Extract is modulated after implanting the ions into a predetermined number of workpieces or after a predetermined amount of time has passed, therein generally defining a cleaning interval.
- the cleaning interval may range between approximately 30 seconds and approximately 4 hours.
- the cleaning interval is associated with a change in a process recipe (e.g., a change in species for the ion source or a change in other parameters associated with the ion implantation system).
Abstract
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US11/037,491 US6992311B1 (en) | 2005-01-18 | 2005-01-18 | In-situ cleaning of beam defining apertures in an ion implanter |
PCT/US2006/001006 WO2006078526A1 (en) | 2005-01-18 | 2006-01-11 | In-situ cleaning of beam defining apertures in an ion implanter |
JP2007552173A JP5071656B2 (en) | 2005-01-18 | 2006-01-11 | Method for cleaning an ion implantation system |
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US20080073559A1 (en) * | 2003-12-12 | 2008-03-27 | Horsky Thomas N | Controlling the flow of vapors sublimated from solids |
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US20080223409A1 (en) * | 2003-12-12 | 2008-09-18 | Horsky Thomas N | Method and apparatus for extending equipment uptime in ion implantation |
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US20090321632A1 (en) * | 2008-06-25 | 2009-12-31 | Axcelis Technologies, Inc. | System and method for reducing particles and contamination by matching beam complementary aperture shapes to beam shapes |
US20100096568A1 (en) * | 2008-10-16 | 2010-04-22 | Canon Anelva Corporation | Substrate processing apparatus and cleaning method of the same |
US20100155619A1 (en) * | 2008-12-22 | 2010-06-24 | Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. | Directional gas injection for an ion source cathode assembly |
US20110220144A1 (en) * | 2010-03-10 | 2011-09-15 | Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. | Cleaning of an extraction aperture of an ion source |
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